At exactly 10:00 AM, House Medarda's luxurious electric car appeared in front of the Windguides' headquarters, the Hextech Audio Workshop, not a second late.
The driver stepped out and opened the rear door for Lady Mel. Her handmaid followed, standing respectfully by the door.
Only then did Mel gracefully step out, revealing her elegant and curvaceous figure from within the vehicle.
"Councilor Mel!" Levi had been waiting at the factory entrance early on. To handle this important social engagement, he had specifically changed into a high-end suit he had never worn before.
Paired with the beautiful bluebird elegantly perched on his shoulder, he truly gave off the air of a Piltovan gentleman.
Upon seeing Mel appear, Levi brought out the working enthusiasm of a business investment attraction office, taking the initiative to step forward and greet her. "Hello, Councilor Mel."
"Hello, Mr. Levi." Mel was more approachable than expected. She shook Levi's hand lightly and spoke in a gentle tone. "Actually, you don't need to call me Councilor."
"Today, I am simply an investor coming to visit and inspect in a private capacity."
"Understood, Lady Mel," Levi smoothly corrected himself, getting straight to the point. "Well then, Lady Mel, the factory is already up and running. Would you like to go inside now and inspect our production workshop?"
Mel glanced at the factory behind Levi but shook her head slightly. "There is no rush."
"Before touring the factory, I would like to visit a few other places first."
Saying this, she glanced back at her handmaid.
Understanding the cue, the handmaid stepped forward and handed Levi a pre-planned route map.
Levi took the map and took a look.
He saw that the route twisted and turned through the South City, even passing directly through the Zaunite Community in the middle, making a massive detour before finally returning to the factory.
And as for the specific locations this route intentionally passed through, Levi could easily tell—
They were the brothels, casinos, and Shimmer shops formerly run by the Iron Fist Gang.
"Lady Mel, why do you want to visit these places?" Levi asked.
"Because of this," Mel said bluntly, taking out a small pamphlet.
The pamphlet was no larger than a palm. Its cover was slightly curled, and the edges of the pages were worn to the point of fraying.
It was obvious that this little booklet had been read through many times.
And its title was:
"A Brief Introduction to Janna Thought." Levi's expression turned odd. "Lady Mel, you're actually interested in our theories?"
"Yes, very interested." Mel made no secret of her intentions. "So I want to see what kind of surprises Mr. Levi, the man who could write these words, will bring us after taking over the Iron Fist Gang's territory."
"Well... alright." Levi looked thoughtful. "Since you are interested, Lady Mel, I certainly cannot spoil your mood."
"Shall we set off now, then?"
"Are we taking the car, or...?" Levi assumed Mel wanted to drive the entire route.
"Walking," Mel replied instead.
"We will have to pass through the Zaunite Community," Levi reminded her.
"Exactly why walking is better," Mel smiled. "If we just flash by in a car, we will miss many details."
Levi was slightly surprised by her demeanor.
This woman was clearly not some pampered noble lady who could be easily fooled.
However, none of the places she wanted to see today were particularly sensitive. Even if she looked closely, it wouldn't matter.
"Then, right this way—"
Levi gentlemanly summoned a gust of wind, using the air currents to lift a stone slab to serve as a wheelchair for Mel.
"Step onto this stone slab. It will save you some energy while traveling."
"A fine spell," Mel praised politely before stepping onto the slab with her handmaid.
Just like that, Levi guided her as they slowly hovered along. It wasn't long before they left the Factory District and arrived in the Piltovan urban area.
The first location the group arrived at was a bustling commercial street in South City Piltover.
The Iron Fist Gang had originally opened a luxurious casino here, raking in a fortune daily from this establishment alone. The casino was so massive that it could even be considered a landmark of South City Piltover.
Mel was very curious about what this casino would turn into after falling into the hands of the Windguides.
With this mindset, she and Levi arrived at the location.
Then, standing on the street and looking from afar, she saw it:
The casino was still perfectly open for business. Moreover, even in broad daylight, people were coming and going, the entrance bustling with activity.
It seemed the Windguides had not only kept the casino open but had somehow managed to make it even bigger and more successful.
"Business is quite good, isn't it?" A playful smile appeared on Mel's lips.
Sure enough...
No matter how beautiful the ideals sounded, reality was always cruel.
An organization needed to operate, and workers needed to eat. How could they survive without running some highly profitable businesses?
"I didn't expect the Windguides to have such a good head for business. When the Iron Fist Gang was here, this casino was never this lively."
Although Mel understood, her tone remained subtle.
It was as if some beautiful expectation had suddenly fallen through, making her feel inexplicably disappointed.
"No, no, no," Levi interjected. "Lady Mel, you are mistaken."
"What we are running here is not a casino—" Levi pointed at the glowing large signboard in the distance and explained, "This is a Board Game Arcade."
"A Board Game Arcade?" Mel laughed.
Did he think she was stupid? Changing the name of a casino didn't stop it from being a casino.
What on earth was a board game? Wasn't it just playing cards and gambling?
"Let's go inside and take a look, and you'll understand." Levi led the way, his attitude quite enthusiastic.
This Board Game Arcade was originally an entertainment and commercial project he had hastily put together to make quick money.
As early as when the Windguides were first established, this project had been advancing simultaneously with the Walkman project.
Later, when the Windguides took over the Iron Fist Gang's casinos, Levi tried converting one of them into the current Board Game Arcade.
Even if Mel hadn't come on her own initiative, Levi would have wanted to drag this major financial backer over to take a look.
"This..." Mel's curiosity was piqued, and she attentively walked into this so-called Board Game Arcade.
Once inside, the atmosphere was indeed quite different from the original casino.
First of all, the beautiful dealers were gone, and there were fewer servers.
The spacious area originally designed for the upper class was now significantly cramped, filled with all sorts of gaming tables.
Those who came here to play a few rounds weren't all upper-class gentlemen in suits and leather shoes; there were also many guests dressed as commoners.
"What they are playing is..."
Soon after, Mel suddenly realized that she recognized almost none of the cards these people were playing with.
The most popular game among them wasn't even played with cards.
Instead, it involved a pile of little square blocks.
"What is this?" Mel asked, somewhat curious.
"Mahjong," Levi answered.
"And this one?" Mel asked again.
"Gwent."
"And this?" Mel asked, looking around like a wide-eyed tourist.
"Yu-Gi-Oh!."
"And this one?" she continued to ask.
"War of the Three Factions... Uh, the three factions refer to Demacia, Noxus, and Ionia."
These games, of course, were all reskinned versions localized to fit the cultural background of Runeterra.
Facts proved that good cultural products held appeal no matter where they went.
The guests in the hall were all deeply engrossed in their games. The lively atmosphere was not the least bit inferior to the previous casino.
Just in the short time Mel was watching, someone got so excited playing a board game that they slammed a [Seneschal of Demacia・Xin Zhao] card onto the table while passionately shouting a voice line: "Behind the natural defenses of the Grand City lies the Iron Wall of Demacia!"
It was obvious they were having a blast.
Mel watched thoughtfully.
All sorts of novel and engaging gameplay mechanics were being thrown out as if they cost nothing...
With the help of these creative game concepts, had the Windguides really succeeded in transforming this casino into a board game shop?
"Lady Mel," Levi immediately struck while the iron was hot to pitch his idea. "Look at this project. Are you interested?"
"We have already registered copyright patents for all these game mechanics in Piltover. We plan to convert all eleven of the Iron Fist Gang's former establishments into Board Game Arcades within the next month. The project has now reached the launch phase, and all we need is—"
"I'll invest." Mel didn't even finish listening before throwing her money at it.
But what she was interested in wasn't the investment project at all.
"Even if a board game shop makes money, it shouldn't be able to compare to a casino, right?" Mel looked at Levi. "And you also know that these types of game mechanics are very easy to pirate and copy. Given the business environment in Runeterra, even if you apply for patent protection, no one will actually enforce it for you."
"This project is actually far inferior to a casino."
"Indeed." Levi's expression turned serious. "It doesn't even make a tenth of the profit."
"Are the Windguides not short on money?" Mel asked again.
"We are. Very short." There was nothing to hide. Anyone who cared to look could find out.
"Then why did you still shut down the casino?"
"Because we are the Windguides."
"..." Mel fell silent for a moment.
She scrutinized Levi with a complex expression and sighed. "Idealists cannot accomplish great things. Without money, you cannot save anyone."
"However—" Just as Levi was about to explain, Mel spoke up. "I am willing to keep looking."